QUEENS — A group of men strangled a man and stole his iPhone 6 and wallet at a Forest Hills subway station Sunday morning — one of two robberies that occurred in the station within two hours, police said.
The two incidents appear unrelated, officials said.
ROBBERY ALERT: on 4/19 @ 3:00 am & 4:40 am there were 2 robberies @ Qns Blvd & 71 Ave. 2-3 males approached victims & took property by force
— NYPD 112th Precinct (@NYPD112Pct) April 21, 2015In the first case, the 21-year-old victim got off an E train at the 71st-Continental Avenue subway station at roughly 3 a.m., when a group of men followed him up the stairs.
One suspect put him in a chokehold until he lost consciousness, police said. When the victim awoke, he discovered his iPhone 6 and wallet carrying $80 missing, police said.
In the second robbery, a 25-year-old man was robbed after getting into an argument with two strangers outside the station on the corner of 71st Avenue and Queens Boulevard at approximately 4:40 a.m., police said.
It wasn't clear what the dispute was about, but at some point, all three men went down into the station and one suspect swiped $200 from the victim's pocket, police said.
The group then returned to the street and continued fighting near the station. The suspects fled, leaving the victim with a cut on his face, police said.
The two incidents seemed unrelated, officials said.
